Vocabulary #6

obsequious- adj. obedient, dutiful.

• The intern obsequiously got coffee for his boss.

beatitude- n. extreme blessedness; exhaled happiness.

• I was filled with beatitude when I read my acceptance letter to Stanford.

bete noire- n. a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads.

• My dentist appointment is the bête noire of my day.

bode- v. to be an omen of; to announce beforehand; predict.

• The news bodes evil days for him.

dank- adj. unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and often chilly.

• "Your life is your life, don't let it be clubbed into dank submission." -Charles Bukowski

ecumenical- adj. general, universal.

• The significance of the book of John is ecumenical to the entire Christian faith.

fervid- adj. heated in spirit, enthusiasm.

• The fans fervidly turned the game around with their cheering.

fetid- adj. having an offensive odor, stinking.

• The skunk released a fetid odor all over my dog.

gargantuan- adj. gigantic, enormous, colossal.

• Planning a wedding is a gargantuan task to take on.

heyday- n. the prime stage of great vigor and success.

• I wish I could return to the time when jazz was in its heyday.

incubus- n. a nightmare.

• She was awakened by an intense incubus.

infrastructure-n. the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization.

• The core infrastructure of the corporation effectively help it together after the stock market crashed.

inveigle- v.  to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk or inducements (usually followed by into)

• The young woman inveigled the handsome man into buying her dinner.

kudos- n.  honor, glory, acclaim.

• He received kudos for raising $5000 for children in need.

lagniappe- n.  a gratuity or tip.

• The restaurant gave out mints as lagniappes after every dinner to thank their customers for their purchases.

prolix- adj. extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy.

• Roxanne's prolix explanation about relativity bored everyone in class.

protege- n. a person under the patronage, protection, or care of some one interested in his or her career or welfare.

• My little soccer protege took directions so well.

prototype- n. the original or model, on which something is based or formed.  

• The engineers initially built a prototype of their robotic arm to see if it would work.

sycophant- n.  a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.

• The sycophant woman felt that her wealth put her above the common population.

tautology- n. needless repetition of an idea, especially in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.” 

• Our principle speaks with such tautology that it's hard to figure out his point of the conversation.

truckle- v. to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely (usually followed by to  ).

• Don't truckle to unreasonable demands.